Carry On England
Encyclopedia
Carry On England is the 28th Carry On
film. It was released in 1976 and featured Carry On regulars Kenneth Connor
, Jack Douglas
, Joan Sims
and Peter Butterworth
. It was second and final Carry On film for Windsor Davies
, Diane Langton
, and Peter Jones
, while Patrick Mower
, Judy Geeson
and Melvyn Hayes
make their only Carry On appearance. It was followed by Carry On Emmannuelle
in 1978.
) is put in charge of an experimental mixed-battery during the darkest days of the Second World War. It's a relief for Captain Bull (David Lodge
) to greet his relief but Melly isn't prepared for the ball-squeezing Sergeant Major "Tiger" Bloomer (Windsor Davies
) and the randy antics of Bombadier Ready (Jack Douglas
), Sergeant Tilly Willing (Judy Geeson
) and Sergeant Len Able (Patrick Mower
). Forever feigning illness or hiding in their underground "snoggery", the troops are happily getting to grips with each other rather than the enemy. Most prominent of the females is Private Alice Easy (Diane Langton
) who tries to charm her new commanding officer but only succeeds in propelling her top button into his system! Private Jennifer Ffoukes-Sharp (Joan Sims
) pines for "Tiger" while everybody - including little Gunner Shorthouse (Melvyn Hayes
) - gets a piece of the action. Even after a tip-off to the medical officer, Major Butcher (Julian Holloway
) segregation and rigorous training, the unit is still a shower. However, an inspection by the cowardly Brigadier (Peter Jones
) and Major Carstairs (Peter Butterworth
) is interrupted by an airborne attack and Melly's troop prove they are real British bulldogs.
Windsor Davies, who had joined the series with a main role in the preceding film Carry On Behind
, again plays a major role. Other main roles are played by established and recognisable actors Judy Geeson
and Patrick Mower
, both newcomers to the Carry On films.
This film was a major commercial failure and was withdrawn from some cinemas after just three days.
Interiors:
Exteriors:
Carry On films
The Carry On films are a series of low-budget British comedy films, directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. They are an energetic mix of parody, farce, slapstick and double entendres....
film. It was released in 1976 and featured Carry On regulars Kenneth Connor
Kenneth Connor
Kenneth Connor MBE was an English comedy stage, radio, film and TV actor, best known for his appearances in the Carry On films.-Career:...
, Jack Douglas
Jack Douglas (actor)
Jack Douglas, born John Roberton was an English actor most famous for his roles in the Carry On films.- Career :...
, Joan Sims
Joan Sims
Joan Sims was an English actress best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, and latterly for playing Madge Hardcastle in As Time Goes By.-Early life:...
and Peter Butterworth
Peter Butterworth
Peter William Shorrocks Butterworth was an English comedy actor and comedian, best known for his appearances in the Carry On series of films. He was also a regular on children's television and radio and appeared in seven early episodes of Doctor Who in 1965 as the 'The Meddling Monk'...
. It was second and final Carry On film for Windsor Davies
Windsor Davies
Windsor Davies is a British actor, well known for playing the part of Battery Sergeant Major Williams in the 1970s/1980s British sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum.-Early life and career:...
, Diane Langton
Diane Langton
Diane Langton is an English actress and singer.She has appeared in numerous TV shows like Only Fools and Horses, where she played Junie, an old girlfriend of Del Boy's, in the 1980s....
, and Peter Jones
Peter Jones (actor)
Peter Jones was an English actor, screenwriter and broadcaster.-Early life and career:Jones was born in Wem, Shropshire and he was educated at the Wem Grammar School and Ellesmere College. He made his first appearance as an actor in Wolverhampton at the age of 16 and then appeared in repertory...
, while Patrick Mower
Patrick Mower
Patrick Mower , whose original name was Patrick Archibald Shaw, is an English actor well known for his many television and occasional film roles, often as a detective or secret agent.-Life:...
, Judy Geeson
Judy Geeson
Judith Amanda "Judy" Geeson is an English actor.-Early life:Geeson was born in Arundel, Sussex, England on 10 September 1948. She came from a middle class family; her father edited the National Coal Board magazine. Her sister, Sally Geeson, is also an actress and is known for her roles in British...
and Melvyn Hayes
Melvyn Hayes
Melvyn Hayes is an English actor probably best known for playing the effeminate Gunner "Gloria" Beaumont in the 1970s BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum,-Early life and career:...
make their only Carry On appearance. It was followed by Carry On Emmannuelle
Carry On Emmannuelle
Carry On Emmannuelle is the 30th Carry On film, and was released in 1978. This was the last Carry On film to be made until Carry On Columbus in 1992. The film was to be the final Carry On for many regulars including Kenneth Williams , Kenneth Connor , Joan Sims and Peter Butterworth...
in 1978.
Plot
Captain S Melly (Kenneth ConnorKenneth Connor
Kenneth Connor MBE was an English comedy stage, radio, film and TV actor, best known for his appearances in the Carry On films.-Career:...
) is put in charge of an experimental mixed-battery during the darkest days of the Second World War. It's a relief for Captain Bull (David Lodge
David Lodge (actor)
David William Frederick Lodge was a British character actor.Before turning to acting he worked as a circus clown...
) to greet his relief but Melly isn't prepared for the ball-squeezing Sergeant Major "Tiger" Bloomer (Windsor Davies
Windsor Davies
Windsor Davies is a British actor, well known for playing the part of Battery Sergeant Major Williams in the 1970s/1980s British sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum.-Early life and career:...
) and the randy antics of Bombadier Ready (Jack Douglas
Jack Douglas (actor)
Jack Douglas, born John Roberton was an English actor most famous for his roles in the Carry On films.- Career :...
), Sergeant Tilly Willing (Judy Geeson
Judy Geeson
Judith Amanda "Judy" Geeson is an English actor.-Early life:Geeson was born in Arundel, Sussex, England on 10 September 1948. She came from a middle class family; her father edited the National Coal Board magazine. Her sister, Sally Geeson, is also an actress and is known for her roles in British...
) and Sergeant Len Able (Patrick Mower
Patrick Mower
Patrick Mower , whose original name was Patrick Archibald Shaw, is an English actor well known for his many television and occasional film roles, often as a detective or secret agent.-Life:...
). Forever feigning illness or hiding in their underground "snoggery", the troops are happily getting to grips with each other rather than the enemy. Most prominent of the females is Private Alice Easy (Diane Langton
Diane Langton
Diane Langton is an English actress and singer.She has appeared in numerous TV shows like Only Fools and Horses, where she played Junie, an old girlfriend of Del Boy's, in the 1980s....
) who tries to charm her new commanding officer but only succeeds in propelling her top button into his system! Private Jennifer Ffoukes-Sharp (Joan Sims
Joan Sims
Joan Sims was an English actress best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, and latterly for playing Madge Hardcastle in As Time Goes By.-Early life:...
) pines for "Tiger" while everybody - including little Gunner Shorthouse (Melvyn Hayes
Melvyn Hayes
Melvyn Hayes is an English actor probably best known for playing the effeminate Gunner "Gloria" Beaumont in the 1970s BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum,-Early life and career:...
) - gets a piece of the action. Even after a tip-off to the medical officer, Major Butcher (Julian Holloway
Julian Holloway
Julian Holloway is an English actor now based in Hollywood, CA, United States. He is the son of the comedy actor and singer Stanley Holloway and former chorus dancer and actress Violet Lane...
) segregation and rigorous training, the unit is still a shower. However, an inspection by the cowardly Brigadier (Peter Jones
Peter Jones (actor)
Peter Jones was an English actor, screenwriter and broadcaster.-Early life and career:Jones was born in Wem, Shropshire and he was educated at the Wem Grammar School and Ellesmere College. He made his first appearance as an actor in Wolverhampton at the age of 16 and then appeared in repertory...
) and Major Carstairs (Peter Butterworth
Peter Butterworth
Peter William Shorrocks Butterworth was an English comedy actor and comedian, best known for his appearances in the Carry On series of films. He was also a regular on children's television and radio and appeared in seven early episodes of Doctor Who in 1965 as the 'The Meddling Monk'...
) is interrupted by an airborne attack and Melly's troop prove they are real British bulldogs.
Production
This film featured few established members of the Carry On team. Carry On regular Kenneth Connor played a leading role, but the only other long-time regulars present, Joan Sims and Peter Butterworth, had only small roles.Windsor Davies, who had joined the series with a main role in the preceding film Carry On Behind
Carry On Behind
Carry On Behind is the twenty-seventh Carry On film and was released in 1975. The film was the first not to feature Sid James since Follow That Camel seven years previously. It was also the first not to be scripted by Talbot Rothwell since Carry On Cruising 13 years previously. James was busy...
, again plays a major role. Other main roles are played by established and recognisable actors Judy Geeson
Judy Geeson
Judith Amanda "Judy" Geeson is an English actor.-Early life:Geeson was born in Arundel, Sussex, England on 10 September 1948. She came from a middle class family; her father edited the National Coal Board magazine. Her sister, Sally Geeson, is also an actress and is known for her roles in British...
and Patrick Mower
Patrick Mower
Patrick Mower , whose original name was Patrick Archibald Shaw, is an English actor well known for his many television and occasional film roles, often as a detective or secret agent.-Life:...
, both newcomers to the Carry On films.
This film was a major commercial failure and was withdrawn from some cinemas after just three days.
Cast and Crew
- Kenneth ConnorKenneth ConnorKenneth Connor MBE was an English comedy stage, radio, film and TV actor, best known for his appearances in the Carry On films.-Career:...
as Captain S Melly - Windsor DaviesWindsor DaviesWindsor Davies is a British actor, well known for playing the part of Battery Sergeant Major Williams in the 1970s/1980s British sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum.-Early life and career:...
as Sergeant Major "Tiger" Bloomer - Patrick MowerPatrick MowerPatrick Mower , whose original name was Patrick Archibald Shaw, is an English actor well known for his many television and occasional film roles, often as a detective or secret agent.-Life:...
as Sergeant Len Able - Judy GeesonJudy GeesonJudith Amanda "Judy" Geeson is an English actor.-Early life:Geeson was born in Arundel, Sussex, England on 10 September 1948. She came from a middle class family; her father edited the National Coal Board magazine. Her sister, Sally Geeson, is also an actress and is known for her roles in British...
as Sergeant Tilly Willing - Jack DouglasJack Douglas (actor)Jack Douglas, born John Roberton was an English actor most famous for his roles in the Carry On films.- Career :...
as Bombardier Ready - Peter JonesPeter Jones (actor)Peter Jones was an English actor, screenwriter and broadcaster.-Early life and career:Jones was born in Wem, Shropshire and he was educated at the Wem Grammar School and Ellesmere College. He made his first appearance as an actor in Wolverhampton at the age of 16 and then appeared in repertory...
as Brigadier - Diane LangtonDiane LangtonDiane Langton is an English actress and singer.She has appeared in numerous TV shows like Only Fools and Horses, where she played Junie, an old girlfriend of Del Boy's, in the 1980s....
as Private Alice Easy - Melvyn HayesMelvyn HayesMelvyn Hayes is an English actor probably best known for playing the effeminate Gunner "Gloria" Beaumont in the 1970s BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum,-Early life and career:...
as Gunner Shorthouse - Peter ButterworthPeter ButterworthPeter William Shorrocks Butterworth was an English comedy actor and comedian, best known for his appearances in the Carry On series of films. He was also a regular on children's television and radio and appeared in seven early episodes of Doctor Who in 1965 as the 'The Meddling Monk'...
as Major Carstairs - Joan SimsJoan SimsJoan Sims was an English actress best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, and latterly for playing Madge Hardcastle in As Time Goes By.-Early life:...
as Private Jennifer Ffoukes-Sharpe - Julian HollowayJulian HollowayJulian Holloway is an English actor now based in Hollywood, CA, United States. He is the son of the comedy actor and singer Stanley Holloway and former chorus dancer and actress Violet Lane...
as Major Butcher - David LodgeDavid Lodge (actor)David William Frederick Lodge was a British character actor.Before turning to acting he worked as a circus clown...
as Captain Bull - Larry DannLarry DannLarry Dann is a British film and television actor.As a youngster he had a cameo playing a schoolboy in Carry on Teacher, Appreared in two films with Sir Norman Wisdom, Trouble In store and The Bulldog breed and later rejoined the famous Carry On series of films for Carry On Behind , Carry On...
as Gunner Shaw - Brian OsborneBrian OsborneBrian Osborne is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in Upstairs, Downstairs and The Sandbaggers. Osborne has also had minor roles in six Carry On films as well the TV series Carry On Laughing.-Early life:...
as Gunner Owen - Johnny BriggsJohnny Briggs (actor)Johnny Briggs, MBE is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Mike Baldwin in the soap opera Coronation Street, in which he appeared from 1976 to 2006...
as Melly's driver - Patricia FranklinPatricia FranklinPatricia Franklin is an English actress. Her television credits include Black Books, The Bill, Silent Witness, The Sweeney and Play for Today....
as Corporal Cook - Linda HooksLinda HooksLinda Hooks is the second delegate from Great Britain to win the Miss International crown in 1972, three years after Valerie Susan Holmes earned the title....
as Nurse - John Carlin as Officer
- Vivienne JohnsonVivienne JohnsonVivienne Johnson is an English actress who is best known for playing the personal nurse to Young Mr. Grace in the British sitcom Are You Being Served?....
as Freda - Michael NightingaleMichael Nightingale-Selected filmography:* The Man Who Watched Trains Go By * Man in the Shadow * Ice-Cold in Alex * The Stranglers of Bombay * Watch Your Stern * The Young Jacobites * The Silent Weapon...
as Officer - Jeremy Connor as Gunner Hiscocks
- Richard Olley as Gunner Parker
- Peter BanksPeter BanksPeter Banks is an English guitarist. He was the original guitarist of the progressive rock band Yes.-Early career:When Banks was a young boy, his father bought him an acoustic guitar...
as Gunner Thomas - Richard BartlettRichard BartlettRichard H Bartlett was an American director and producer in film and TV.Bartlett's first film as a director was Silent Raiders in 1954.-External links:...
as Gunner Drury - Billy J Mitchell as Gunner Childs
- Peter QuincePeter QuinceIn William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Peter Quince is a carpenter who works in ancient Athens. He is one of the six craftsmen that put on a play for Theseus and Hippolyta at their wedding...
as Gunner Sharpe - Paul Toothill as Gunner Gale
- Tricia Newby as Bombardier/Corporal Murray
- Louise Burton as Private Evans
- Jeannie Collings as Private Edwards
- Barbara Hampshire as Private Carter
- Linda ReganLinda ReganLinda Regan is a British actress who has appeared in television and film. She is best known for her role as Yellowcoat April in the British holiday camp sitcom Hi-De-Hi...
as Private Taylor - Barbara Rosenblat as ATS girl
- Screenplay - David Pursall & Jack Seddon
- Music - Max HarrisMax Harris (composer)Max Harris was a British film and television composer and arranger. He played the piano and piano accordion....
- Production Manager - Roy Goddard
- Art Director - Lionel CouchLionel CouchLionel Couch was a British art director. He was nominated for two Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction.-Selected filmography:Couch was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Art Direction:...
- Editor - Richard Marden
- Director of Photography - Ernest StewardErnest StewardErnest Steward BSC was a British cinematographer.Born in London, England he began his career - as with most cinematographers of his era - as a camera operator; his early credits in this field included Great Expectations and London Belongs to Me .As Director of Photography, he filmed mostly...
- Camera Operator - Geoffrey Godar
- Wardrobe - Vi Murray & Don Mothersill
- Casting Director - John Owen
- Stills Cameraman - Ken Bray
- Make-up - Geoffrey Rodway
- Sound Recordists - Danny Daniel & Gordon McCallumGordon McCallumGordon McCallum was an American-born English sound engineer. He won an Academy Award for Best Sound and was nominated for three more in the same category...
- Continuity - Marjorie Lavelly
- Hairdresser - Stella Rivers
- Costume Design - Courtenay Elliott
- Set Dresser - Donald Picton
- Dubbing Editor - Pat Foster
- Assistant Editor - Jack Gardner
- Assistant Director - Jack Causey
- Titles - GSE Ltd
- Processor - Rank Film Laboratories
- Gun - Imperial War MuseumImperial War MuseumImperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
- Producer - Peter RogersPeter RogersPeter Rogers was a British film producer.Rogers began his career as a journalist for his local paper before graduating to scriptwriting religious informational films...
- Director - Gerald ThomasGerald ThomasGerald Thomas was an English film director, born in Hull.-Early life:Thomas was training in medicine when the Second World War began. He then served in the British army during the war, in Europe and the Middle East...
Filming and locations
- Filming dates – 3 May-4 June 1976 (Note that Sid JamesSid JamesSid James was an English-based South African actor and comedian. He made his name as Tony Hancock's co-star in Hancock's Half Hour and also starred in the popular Carry On films. He was known for his trademark "dirty laugh" and lascivious persona...
- star of 20 previous entries in the series died just days before filming on 26 April 1976)
Interiors:
- Pinewood StudiosPinewood StudiosPinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
, Buckinghamshire
Exteriors:
- Pinewood StudiosPinewood StudiosPinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
. The orchard was utilised once again as it was for the camping and caravan sites in Carry On CampingCarry On CampingCarry On Camping is a 1969 comedy film and the seventeenth Carry On film. It features series regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Terry Scott, Hattie Jacques, Barbara Windsor, Bernard Bresslaw and Peter Butterworth.-Plot:...
and Carry On BehindCarry On BehindCarry On Behind is the twenty-seventh Carry On film and was released in 1975. The film was the first not to feature Sid James since Follow That Camel seven years previously. It was also the first not to be scripted by Talbot Rothwell since Carry On Cruising 13 years previously. James was busy...
.